Deceptive Whispers
by Random Chou
Summary: When Numair hears rumors circulating around the palace about Daine and himself, trouble stirs between them. Can their love withstand the judgement around them?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: As I'm sure you've already figured out, we own nothing. **

_A/N: We're rather new to this so constructive criticism would be fantastic!_

Bright sun poured through the window, shedding light and the promise of a newfound peace over Daine and Numair. Their room was alive with light. The curtains caught the wind, turning into sun-covered wings. Parchment fluttered under its paperweight, trying to break free. A pile of clothes in the corner held a small pale blue dragon, sleeping as her snores whistled, making every jewel in the room sparkle. On the bed, two figures slept silently, tangled in the sheets.

The light fell on Daine's eyes, causing them to flutter open. She lay there, watching Numair sleep, her breath mingling with his. Then, carefully she wriggled out from under Numair's arm, concentrating immensely on not waking him. Strong hands snaked around her waist, pulling her back into a long embrace.

"Hey!" She shrieked, before erupting in laughter. His calm eyes blinked open, taking in the beautiful scene surrounding him. Closing his eyes again, he entangled his callused hand in Daine's smoky brown curls, sighing happily. She placed a small kiss on each of his pale cheeks, and slipped out from his grasp.

"I'll be right back," her soothing voice called from the hallway of the palace quarters. Her hair flung around the corner, and was gone, leaving Numair with only the faint sound of birds chirping in the courtyard and Kit. He lay still for long moments, seeing no reason to do anything else.

Whispers from outside the door broke his trance. He leaned forward in an attempt to hear them. "Wasn't that Daine?" Indecipherable whispers filled the hallway, followed by uncontrollable giggles that could only come from one source: the palace maids. Unable to figure out why Daine could be of so much interest to them, Numair kept straining to hear more of their gossiping conversation.

"Isn't he a little… you know, old for her?" One particularly loud maid whispered. Even louder giggles filled the hallway, surely disturbing many of the residents. Exasperated, Numair continued to listen to the foolish chatter.

"Maybe he used the Gift on her, forcing her to fall in love." One suggested boldly.

Numair had had about enough of this outrageous talk. Forcing himself to stand shakily, he stumbled towards the door that his beautiful Daine had left cracked open.

"Excuse me ladies… Is it possible for you to keep it down? I'm sure that many of the palace residents are trying to rest." At the sight of the well-known mage in just his sleep clothing, the giggles turned into steady laughter. The group of seven young maids scattered in every direction, leaving only one standing in front of Numair.

"Master Numair, so good to see you out and about! You're looking…" she hesitated for just a moment, torn between telling the truth to the washed-out looking man, or lying for both of their benefits. "Rested. I will be your maid for your stay at the palace. Anything you need done, just talk to me!" Her over eagerness brought the tiniest of smiles to play at the great mage's mouth.

"Alright then, but please do try to keep quiet. I am in need of more rest." And, at that, he stumbled to his bed, barely managing to pull the blankets back up. As he watched the maid clean his room, he contemplated his situation. _Psh. Too young? Clearly she is with me because she likes my company, not because of my GIFT. Don't they know that an experienced mage like me wouldn't waste magic on such things? No, I suppose not. I wonder… how many people hold this despicable opinion? _His mind filled with these unanswerable questions. They continued to torment him as the maid cleaned, and left. He fell into another trance, but this one wasn't as cheerful.

"Hello Numair, feeling well?" familiar voices chorused. Alanna, George and Jonathon filed into the room, greeting Numair with enthusiastic hugs. This shook his grim mood, and he laughed happily, glad to see them again.

"We heard you were up. My maid was raving. Talking about 'That Master Numair and how Daine and him…" Alanna trailed off, her voice faltering at the end. "Well, its not like any of the maid's talk is important anyways."

"Sure it is! They hear all kinds of things! Many times what they speak of is correct… Their information proves useful in many cases." George looked satisfied at his knowledge of good places to insert spies into the palace. Alanna stuck her elbow straight into his stomach, making him cringe from the hard blow. George whimpered "Ouch! Alanna what was that…"

Then he realized what he had hinted at. The maids had been talking about how much older Numair was than Diane, and how it was wrong that they were together. As a matter of fact, he had been hearing similar murmurs from everyone since the end of the immortals war.

"What do you mean, Alanna? Tell me. I… I want to hear the truth. You've never lied to me. Don't start now." A long sigh escaped his tight mouth. "I'm too tired to mess around." Numair's face twisted into an uncomfortable grimace when Alanna hesitated to tell him immediately. "That bad, huh?" His tired face had looked pale for a week, ever since he was drained at the war. At this moment he seemed even older than normal. His hair was out of place, his clothing hanging loose, and frustrated wrinkles outlined his features.

"I've been hearing thing about Daine… Numair it's really not that important. The maids say things that shouldn't be spoken. They gossip about the worst kinds of things. It's because they really don't have anything better to do… They purposely meddle in other peoples' lives. It gives them a sick pleasure." Alanna's face construed into a grimace not unlike the one Numair wore. The silence in the room was not a comfortable one, like those that he expected to have with such close friends.

"I see. They have been saying it's wrong, her and I?" It was more of a statement then a question. He knew that secrets had been traveling around the palace.

At that moment, the door swung open to admit a muddled but contented Daine. They could tell she had been outside with her friends, the animals. Her cloak was covered in dirt, horsehair, and hay. Her smoky brown hair smelled of horses, one of her personal favorite smells. She pulled a half-full bag of carrots from her pocket, swept clothes off of the table, and set the carrots there to be ready for her next visit to the stables.

"That mare is so close to foaling, we should probably keep the stable hands on night watch till it happens." She stated while removing her cloak, her back to the room. "I bet it'll be beautiful, with its parents being so well bred." She turned and opened her mouth to say more, and saw Alanna, George, and Jonathon.

"Oh, hi. Am I interrupting?" She said, a little cautious, and headed for the door.

"No Daine, stay, I'm curious to hear about this foal. People think the king isn't interested in his stables these days" Jon encouraged. The look on his face seemed overeager, but Daine would never turn down a chance to discuss her wonderful world of animals. Numair stared at him with resentment, wondering what he was doing.

"Sure, I'd love to!" she said earnestly as she sat on the edge of the bed, farthest from Numair, the other three notice instantly. As she told them about the mare, the tension melted away, they laughed and talked normally again. All except for Numair, who was buried in his own thoughts. Diane, noticing this, frequently glanced toward him, full of worry. Alanna was the only one who noticed. Daine finished her story, and contented herself listening to the others. When the other three finally left, she crawled next to him and got under the covers of the bed Numair had been glued to for a week.

"What's wrong? Why weren't you talking?" She asks quietly, reaching for his hand. He winced at her touch, and quickly pulled his hand free of the tender grasp, pretending to smooth out his black mane. Her blue eyes glistened with hurt.

"I... I'm just tired." He lied, longing to make that look go away. She seemed to believe him, and the hurt left her eyes.

"Ok, I'll leave." She kissed his cheek. "_I love you," _she whispered almost silently and left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

_-Shudders- please don't kill me. I know this took awhile and its short, but I tried. Thank you for all the reviews._

_She kissed his cheek. "I love you," she whispered quietly in his ear and left the room._ Those words, that usually warmed the heart of any person who heard it, burned in Numair's with guilt. Daine loved him so openly, and he was preparing to do the worst to her as a repayment. He forced his mind to go completely blank. Everything that he thought of some how seemed to find a way to relate to Daine. So he blocked it all out. Over the years Numair seemed to grow progressively better at making his mind blank. In this state, everything was okay. No one was trying to take the love of his life away from him there. No one in his blank mind was telling him that being with his student was wrong. It was simple there. Calm. He longed to stay there forever, knowing deep down he couldn't.

"Numair?" A melodic voice penetrated his calm world. Daine stood at the door, looking worried. Numair's eyes opened, and Daine saw a world of pain behind their dark exterior. "I think we need to talk. I... Is everything okay? With us?"

"I wish it was." And with that Daine sat on the opposite side of his bed. Pretending that everything was fine, even though the hurt in his eyes tore her heart.

"So we do?" She said, her voice cracking.

"I... I'm just not sure. I'm sorry Daine, I'm used to having the answers. This time I just... don't." The hurt in Numair's eyes morphed into an agony beyond anything that Daine had seen before. She knew that his heart was breaking, and her own heart shattered.

"Answers? Numair, you're not making sense. Answer to a question? What is this unanswerable question?"

"Us," Was his quiet reply.

"Us? What about us?" Daine coxed gently.

Numair sighed deeply. _This is going to be hard. _"Daine, we've been pretending. Pretending this is real. Pretending this could work. Pretending that it's ok!" He forced the words out. _What the hell am I saying? I love her. I need her. I never want this to end! _The part of him that controls love screamed violently, desperately trying to force the truth threw him. _You have to protect her! She matters too much to you to put her in pain. You're love can't shield her from the judging eyes and the harsh whispers. If you do what **you **want, you'll ruin her! _The supposedly logical side of him shot back venomously, winning over his mind. He continued.

"Pretending has been killing me the whole time. Its been killing us. This is wrong. It can't happen" He tried to sound like it was a matter of fact, but inwardly he was dying a slow, painful death.

Daine felt as though she'd been slapped. She tried to take in what he had said. "This isn't real to you? And it's wrong?" She fought the sudden tears in her eyes. "So, you lied to me? Every time you said you loved me?" Hate started to create pressure in her chest. _What? So he just used me!_ "Was I just a fling? Or and experiment? Was I just for fun?" She emphasized the word fun, dripping hate onto it.

"How could you think that?" Numair spat the words like poison. "How could you think I would use you? That I never loved you! I love you Daine. I always have. But this can't be! I'm... I'm your teacher! I am like your father! Gods know I'm old enough to be! Everyone will find this wrong! We just have been blind. Love has blinded you Daine. It has blinded me! We've done something horribly wrong because we were blinded by love! Please try to understand... I love you so much. I... I love you Daine. So I won't hurt you by letting this go on." The stinging in his eyes became unbearable, but Numair willed himself to stay calm.

"Something horribly wrong." She stated numbly. That hit her hard. "You say you love, and you don't want to hurt me, but your saying I'm wrong and horrible!" She murmured painfully.

"Daine, I care so much about you. When you came here you wanted a new start. You wanted people to accept you, to love you. So many people respect you. I will not change that. I will not be the one to bring you down again. I'm sorry, Daine. But this... can't be. I wont let it. I wont let you sacrifice all you did for me. I love you too much. It has to end." Numair was done pretending everything was okay. Heavy tears spilled from his soft eyes.

Daine watched Numair cry, like he was the one being hurt. She almost took pleasure in those tears, after all he had said. Trying to keep herself together long enough to get to the door, she shifted to the edge of the bed, touching her feet to the cold ground beneath her. She picked up her hazardously thrown clothes, considering her next words for long seconds. "I… I think I'm the one that loved you too much." She picked up Kit, waking her. She started to screech, but the look one Daine's face silenced the young dragon immediately. "I hope your speech does better you then me. Now that I've been humiliated and taken advantage of, I think I take my leave. I'm sorry to leave so early, Master Salmalin. I'll see you at the next meeting, I assume." She said, with a bitter politeness then reached for the shining door handle, her freedom.

Numair watched her leave, crying silently. He realized that he watched the love of his life walk out of the door. Numair lifted his limp body out of bed, and used the strength that he'd been saving for a week to run to the door.

In the hallway, Daine collapsed against a gray wall, letting her tears go. They fell on Kit, who barley noticed. She gave worried chirps, trying to comfort Daine. Daine heard Numair at the door, groaning with the effort. Not wanting him to see her cry, she bolted down the hall. She tripped a couple yards away from the door, splaying her and Kit against the hard stone. Her world crashed with her. She fell apart, piece-by-piece. Her sobs shook her entire body. Her heart turned black and felt as thought it had stopped beating in her chest. Bile filled her throat, burning her mouth. She couldn't hear Kit screaming her worry, nor did she want to. Her palms had been ripped open. They blazed where her skin had been pulled apart. Blood trickled down her arms as she wept, leaving red pools along her clothes. She savored the feeling. It felt good to have physical pain. It covered her inner turmoil.

_a/n: What did you think? Please review! Like before, I would like constructive criticism. _

_**Bounty Hunter Jango, Lady Knight 1512, and Heather-Marie: **-blushes- Thanks. My computer said it was spelled wrong, so I fixed it without thinking. _

_**Lady Knight 1512: **Your right, Kings don't jump on beds. –scratches it out-. All better! Thanks for pointing it out!_

_**Everyone: **Muha! I did update –points up-. Sorry its so short, and well, badly written…_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I'm sure all of my reviewers have been lost. –sighs- My fault, I know. I'm so sorry guys. My life got hectic. I went to Chicago, then my mom had surgery, my computer crashed, then my teachers swamped me with homework. Anyway, I've caught up on it all, and plan to update at least once a week, but I'm striving for every four days. I still love you guys, and I hope you like this, __. Once again, I'm sorry._

Numair heard a crash in the hall, then a loud trill. Gritting his teeth, he looked around the doorframe. Daine was sprawled on the floor, Kit close to her side. Her body shook as she sobbed, ignoring him. Numiar saw the blood pooled on the floor, and lunged to her side, forgetting about their fight just minutes before. He touched her shoulder gently.

"_Don't touch me_." She hissed, jolting away from him. "Don't you _dare_ touch me."

She picked up her exhausted body and sprinted down the hall, disappearing quickly behind the stonewall . A very confused Kit and a ruined Numair sat were left behind. After a moment's hesitation, Kit raced down the hall after her caretaker. Numair slumped against the wall, holding his head in his hands. No one was in this part of the halls, leaving him in the quiet. He lay there for what seemed like hours, panting heavily. He finally passed out from using so much of his precious energy in few minutes. It was a relief to him, escaping the world, even if for a few hours. But his relief was quickly banished, as his mind filled with nightmares of Daine's tears.

Daine ran the lengths of the halls, avoiding the shocked eyes by watching the intricate rug patterns pass in front of her feet. There were very few people in the hall, for which she was thankful. Who knows what the gossip would make of this. Finally reaching her room, she forced the door open. It gave and flung against the wall, striking the wall then quickly falling back into place with its frame. Daine hit the bed in the same moment, letting her sobs deepen again. Her brain was numb of all thought except for what he did to her. She felt used. After a few minutes, she curled up in a ball, trying to lessen her sobs a little, so no one came to investigate. Scratching at the door followed by loud a screech signified that Daine's attempt was for naught. A cruel whisper was the response.

"Go away Kit."

Kit, not used to her friend being harsh, turned red with anger. She screeched, her threat to force the door open with magic.

"I said _go away Kit!_" Daine growled through clenched teeth

Kit trilled angrily and trotted away, leaving Daine alone once again.

"Goddess, Numair are you ok?"

Numair blinked, opening his eyes to the world once more. Thayet was kneeling next to him, with a worried expression on her attractive face. He realized he was still in the hall, slumped against the wall like a castaway doll. He tried to remember why he was there.

"I…erm…yes." Came his confused reply. As he said it he remembered why he was there.

"Well then, lets get you're room, shall we? You're not going to get well in the hall." Thayet laughed a little, pondering why the ill mage had chosen a hallway as a place to rest.

A/N: I know its short; once again I'm sorry. This story does have a plot; it just takes awhile, xD. The next one should be longer and set the rest of the story. Review, please. I love all the help your giving me. –hands out cookies for fun-


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